Carbonara With Veggies and Chicken
By: Scott Koeneman
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 10:25am

Ingredients




2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
12 ounces two chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded thin
4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced
1 medium onion
2 bunches broccoli, including stems (peel and coarsely dice the stems)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup Egg Beaters or other egg substitute
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper

Preparation

1 Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente in pot of salted water. 2 Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet (I like to use cast-iron for this to get a sear) over medium-high heat. Lightly spray chicken breast with oil and rub in herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes a side. 3 Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add Canadian bacon and saute until nearly browned, about 2 minutes. Add onions, mushrooms and broccoli and saute until the broccoli is hot, but still firm. Turn heat off. 4 Drain, but do not rinse, spaghetti and mix it with the vegetable mixture. 5 In a bowl, combine Egg Beaters, buttermilk and cheese and pour over vegetables and pasta, the remaining heat of the spaghetti and skillet will cook the sauce. Top with pepper. 6 Serve with chicken and Parmesan cheese.

About


Carbonara sauce, is really very simple. Most start with the same ingredients: pancetta (Italian bacon), onions, eggs or egg yolk, Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano, and often, heavy cream. Can you say fat and cholesterol! So yet another challenge to healthy eating confronts me. Can I do carbonara in a healthy way? Absolutely! In addition to lightening the ingredients, I added broccoli and mushrooms. I also considered spinach and may well try that next time.